Piano-shield.



PATENTED MAR. 6, 1906.

M. TUGGLB.

PIANO SHIELD.

APPLICATION FILED 0013.14, 1905.

lnventoirl Witnesses Attorneys MARGARET TUGGLE, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

PIANO-SHIELD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 6, 1906.

Application filed October 14, 1905. Serial No. 282,840.

To ail whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARGARET TUGGLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Piano-Shield, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shields for protecting the ornamental woodwork and panel ing of pianos from being scratched or marred by the feet of the performer; and its objects are to present a device of this character which shall possess superior advantages in point of simplicity, durability, and general efficiency.

With these and other ends in View, which 'will readily appear as the nature of the inven-' tion is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangements of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an upright piano, showing the improved shield applied thereto in position for operation. Fig. 2 is a front view of the shield detached. Fig. 3 is a view illustrating a modified form of the invention, showing the same applied to a piano having a pedal-guard.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

The improved shield of the present inven tion is approximately rectan ular in shape,

and it may consist of a piece 0 pasteboard or 1 other suitable material 1 sufficiently stiff and rigid and at the same time light enough to be easily handled, the same being provided with a covering 2 of textile fabric of any suit able character, the corners bein preferably rounded and trimmed with leat er, as indi cated at 3. The shield is provided at its lower edge with a recess 4 of suitable dimensions to admit the pedals 5 of the piano. At the inner edge of the recess 4, near the cor- 11ers of the latter, there are attached a pair of loops 6 of any suitable elastic material, said loops being adapted to engage the pedals, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawin 's.

The upper edge of the shield has attached thereto one or more elastic straps, as 7 each carrying at its free end a hook member 8, which may be hooked over the upper edge of the front panel 9 of the piano, as will be clearly seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings. These straps and hook members, in connection with the elastic loops 6, willserve to suspend the shield in the proper position for operation to guard the ornamental woodwork against injury, the lower edge of the shield being flexibly connected with the pedals by the loops 6. The shield, as is obvious may be very easily, quickly, and conveniently applied or detached, as may be required.

When the shield. is to be used in connection with a piano which is provided with a pedalguard, as 10, the recessed. portion of the shield may be slipped behind the pedal-guard, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and the shield will then be securely retained by the said guard, the loops 6 and the hoolccarrying straps 7 being in this case dispensed with.

When the elastic hook-carrying straps 7 are used, the hooks may be covered. with textile material or other suitable protecting means, as shown at 11 in Fig. 4 of the drawings, for the purpose of avoiding the possibility of marring the upper edge of the piano with which the hooks are connected.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A protecting-shield for pianos consisting of an approximately rectangular sheet having a recess at its lower edge and provided 7 with elastic pedalengaging loops near the inner corners of said recess.

2. A protecting-shield for pianos consisting of an approximately rectangular sheet having a recess at its lower edge, pedal-engaging loops near theinner corners of said recess, and elastic straps'connected with the upper edge of the sheet and provided at their free ends with panel-engaging hooks.

3. A piano-shield of approximately rectangular shape having a recess at its lower edge andprovided at its upper edge with straps having panel-engaging hooks, in combination with elastic pedal-engaging loops attached near the inner corners of the recess.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 'my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MARGARET TUGGLE. Witnesses:

J. A. WILLIAMSON, WM. I. WALKER. 

